French and Moroccan Air Forces Launch Joint Exercise "Échange Air Maroc 2022"

"The 3rd fighter squadron of the BA133 in Nancy is in Morocco ten years after the last exercise of the French Air and Space Force in Morocco, in December 2012," to participate in the joint military exercise "Échange Air Maroc 2022" underway and which will continue until May 27, indicates the French Air and Space Force in a press release published on its website. In total, three Mirage 2000D have been deployed in a detachment that brings together nearly 80 Aviators of various specialties. These are pilots, navigating weapons systems officers, mechanics, secretaries, commando, computer technicians or intelligence operators.

Several training sessions have already been carried out with two waves of departures per day to strengthen interoperability between the French and Moroccan fighter aviation. "The sharing of experience is a key point of this mission during the briefings and debriefings organized within the premises of the Mirage F1 squadron of the Sidi Slimane air base. If the French Air and Space Force had come to carry out a firing campaign there ten years ago, it was necessary to go back to 2003 to see the French and Moroccan fighter planes evolve together. A historic return," explains the French air force.

The "Échange Air Maroc 2022" exercise presents advantages for both the Royal Air Force and the French Air Force. Moroccan pilots seize the opportunity to validate their patrol leader qualification. "This allows us to fly with the legendary Mirage F1 while developing our interoperability," says Commander Nicolas, director of the French exercise, specifying that the young people in the squadron can thus have a first approach to the desert African environment. "In addition, it’s great to be able to fly with the Mirage F1 that the Moroccans have shown us up close. I’m blown away by the system that has been modernized inside," he adds.